1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to loading dock shelters, and more specifically to a device that helps seal a lower corner of the dock shelter.
2. Description of Related Art
When an exterior doorway of a building is used for loading and unloading trucks, the doorway often includes a dock shelter to help shield against weather. The dock shelter seals off gaps that might otherwise exist between the exterior face of the building and the back end of the truck. Dock shelters often have projecting members that protrude outwardly from the face of the building and run generally along the top and lateral sides of the doorway. From a protruding edge of the projecting members, a top extending member and two laterally extending members may extend inward and generally parallel to the building face to help seal against the truck's top and sides, respectively. The laterally extending members can be made of fabric, hinged panels, or flexible foam. Portions of the truck's rear bottom edge are often partially sealed off by dock bumpers and the lip extension of a dock leveler. The remaining gaps are two inner bottom corners of the dock shelter at the lower back sides of the truck. These gaps are often partially sealed by draft pads attached to the lower ends of the projecting members.
Examples of draft pads can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,885,881; 3,792,559 and 6,014,844. In these examples, the draft pads comprise a compressible foam core covered with pliable fabric. The foam core enables the pad to be compressed by a truck backing into the dock shelter and provides the pad with compliance for filling certain air gaps within the shelter. The fabric cover helps protect the foam core from dirt, wear and weather.
To help prevent the draft pad from sagging, the foam core includes a certain amount of bulk for structural support. Except for the added expense, such bulk may not be a problem with today's conventional dock shelters. However, newer dock shelters may be best served by a draft seal having a sleeker, more lightweight design.